title: Relationship between serum osteocalcin levels and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in adult males, South China.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine serum osteocalcin levels in South Chinese males with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and to examine the relation between serum osteocalcin and NAFLD.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were collected from 1683 men attending the Fangchenggang Area Male Healthy and Examination Survey (FAMHES) from September 2009 to December 2009. Serum osteocalcin was measured with electrochemiluminescence immunoassay. An abdominal ultrasonographic examination for all individuals was performed by two experienced ultrasonographers. The associations of serum osteocalcin with NAFLD were evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The levels of serum osteocalcin were lower in 364 NAFLD participants than in 1319 non-NAFLD participants (24.51 ± 1.38 ng/mL vs. 20.81 ± 1.33 ng/mL, p < 0.001). Serum osteocalin level was associated with the scale of NAFLD (r = -0.150, p < 0.01). Serum osteocalin level tended to decrease with the scale of NAFLD. Binary logistic regression analysis showed that decreased ORs for NAFLD were observed from the first to the fourth osteocalcin quartiles.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings suggest that a lower serum osteocalcin level is associated with the presence of NAFLD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ultrasound, First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, China. zhixianli@foxmail.com.
authors.forename: Jun-Jie
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Yuan-Yuan
authors.initials: YY
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Zeng-Nan
authors.initials: ZN
authors.lastname: Mo
authors.forename: Gui-Xiang
authors.initials: GX
authors.lastname: Tian
authors.forename: Ai-Hua
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Xiao-Bo
authors.initials: XB
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Hai-Ying
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Zhi-Xian
authors.initials: ZX
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002681:China; D005234:Fatty Liver / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D065626:Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease; D015675:Osteocalcin / Q000097:blood*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D015675:Osteocalcin